In the coming weeks, voters in Ireland will have the chance to repeal the eighth amendment, which recognises the equal rights to life of a foetus and the mother during pregnancy. We must send a message to the world, the author declares

A grandfather with a rifle under the floorboards, a granny whose hero was Patrick Pearce and playing ‘Insurrection’ in the playground – Irish writers reflect on what the 1916 rebellion has meant for them and their country